To contact us Click HERE
M. and I were eating breakfast at the sunny end of the veranda on Thursday, and we started compiling some statistics.
• Evacuations since 2005: Three (Mason Gulch, Sand Gulch, Wetmore).
And the amount of time available dropped for each one, from six hours to thirty minutes to "Go now!"
• Pre-evacuation notices that never required leaving home: Two, one in 2011 (the Biplane Fire, a/k/a the Mason Fire) and one in 2012 (the Ditch Creek Fire). We should have received a reverse-911 evacuation notice last week, but the telephone lines had already burned by then.
• Number of smokejumper drops that you could have seen from the house in the last two years: Two, one of them just across the road.
• Named fires within one mile in the last two years that made the national incident list: Three.
• Other minor wildland fires in this area in the last two years: Five? (I would need to check the incident reports at the fire house to be sure.)
• Number of Forest Service plans presented for prescribed fires, thinning, etc. in this area since 1987, the first year that I started following the issue: Several. Six?
• Number of prescribed burns actually carried out: One, in April 2000. Some mechanical thinning was also done in the area burned over during the Mason Gulch Fire. The Forest Service claims that it helped slow the fire. But no burning or thinning has been done in the actual "interface" area, close to homes.
• Number of naturally occurring fires that were categorized as "prescribed use" and allowed to burn, only to explode after the Forest Service assured residents that everything was under control: One (Sand Gulch), in 2011.
Sticking It Out
But as much as I might call ours the "Burned-Over District" (a little scholarly joke there), I think that title really goes to the area west of Boulder, Colorado: Gold Hill, Black Tiger Gulch, Sugar Loaf, Four Mile Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, Boulder Canyon, Lefthand Canyon — All place names, all fire names.
This documentary, Above the Ashes, focuses on local residents who fought the Fourmile Fire (September 2010) on Boulder's western edge at their own homes and their neighbors', because there were simply not enough trained firefighters to cover the area. It's a good depiction of how people react — and act. (Hat tip: Wildfire Today.)
Best line: "You send four gay men into a burning house, they grab the art."
30 Kasım 2012 Cuma
Blog Stew — Don't be an Ingredient
To contact us Click HERE
• Forget zombies — what load for Quetzalcoatalus? Jackson Landers, the "Locovore Hunter," has an answer.
• Sportsman's Guide, a source for discounted (sometimes with good reason) outdoor gear and "Cold War dividend" militaria, mostly European, has returned to American ownership.
• Will Colorado's (known) lone wolverine, M56, get any federal help? He has covered immense amounts of territory, that's for sure.
• Sportsman's Guide, a source for discounted (sometimes with good reason) outdoor gear and "Cold War dividend" militaria, mostly European, has returned to American ownership.
• Will Colorado's (known) lone wolverine, M56, get any federal help? He has covered immense amounts of territory, that's for sure.
FAQ's About Document Management
To contact us Click HERE
When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
Why is document management important?
Today, 80% of all mission-critical data is unstructured, 7.5% of all documents get lost, and 3% of the remainder are misfiled. Organizations are quickly realizing that document management is becoming necessary in order to be more successful. Organizing documents and information through the use of technology ultimately leads to higher productivity, greater efficiency, and improved performance. With an electronic document management system in place, your organization will be able to spend its efforts on the more important and core aspects of your business.What types of records are being imaged?
It runs the gamut: everything from student and personnel records to board minutes and engineering plans. Many of these records have retention requirements. For others, imaging helps streamline specific business processes.What are some of the advantages of scanning records, as opposed to just storing them in boxes or filing cabinets?
There are numerous advantages to scanning records. Imaging critical documents results in significant savings in both time and money because information is organized. Once imaged, you can instantly access any record from your desktop computer. This can reduce storage space by as much as 80% or more. Document search time is also greatly expedited. Requests for documents can be streamlined, completely processed, and printed, faxed, or emailed to the requestor in a matter of seconds. In addition, organizing imaged documents in a database can help with security, by granting access to only authorized users.How do I access information after it has been scanned?
Each record type can be setup with key searchable fields, such as date, first name, last name, APN number, etc. In addition, optical character recognition (OCR) makes electronic documents searchable by every word, so that they can be mined for specific information.How much does document conversion cost?
Price varies depending on size and volume of the documents. On average, scanning typically costs the same as a photocopy (a standard storage box measuring 10"x12"x16" holds approximately 2,500 pages).What format is used for scanning files?
The standard format in the industry for scanned files is TIFF. However, records are also commonly scanned as PDF, PDF/A, and JPG, among others.For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
Teens on the Road: The Process to Getting a Driver's License - Part One
To contact us Click HERE
Having a teenager begin to drive can be stressful enough; add in trying to understand the process to get them their first driver's license, and the experience can be downright frustrating. In this three part series we are going to discuss the process, the steps you need to take, and the documents you will need along the way.
The first thing you need to know is that it is a three stage process referred to as the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System.
Stage One: Instructional Permit
To get an Instructional Permit, a teen must be at least 15 years old, enrolled in Driver’s Education and go into a MVD Express office with the following documents:
· Driver Education Referral Card
Once the permit has been received it must be held for a minimum of six months. The Driver will be issued a maximum of two Instructional Permits. The Driver must drive with an adult 21 or older who has been licensed for a minimum of three years. The Driver must also complete a detailed log of at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, in which 10 of these hours must be at night. A parent or guardian must certify in writing that these hours have been completed. The Driver will need to maintain a clean driving record for the 90 days preceding the application of stage two - the provisional license.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The first thing you need to know is that it is a three stage process referred to as the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System.
Stage One: Instructional Permit
To get an Instructional Permit, a teen must be at least 15 years old, enrolled in Driver’s Education and go into a MVD Express office with the following documents:
· Driver Education Referral Card
Once the permit has been received it must be held for a minimum of six months. The Driver will be issued a maximum of two Instructional Permits. The Driver must drive with an adult 21 or older who has been licensed for a minimum of three years. The Driver must also complete a detailed log of at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, in which 10 of these hours must be at night. A parent or guardian must certify in writing that these hours have been completed. The Driver will need to maintain a clean driving record for the 90 days preceding the application of stage two - the provisional license.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
Teens on the Road: The Process to Getting a Driver's License - Part Two
To contact us Click HERE
In Part One of “Teens on the Road” we discussed the process of obtaining an Instructional Permit. Today we will discuss stage two of the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System, the Provisional License.
Stage Two: The Provisional License
To obtain a Provisional License the teen driver must be at least 15 ½ years old, fully completed Stage One of the Graduated Licensing System, held a clean driving record for 90 days preceding the application of the Provisional License, and go into an MVD Express office with the following documents:
In addition to the above items, if the teen driver does not hold a State issued Instructional Permit they must also bring in the following documents:
Once the Provisional License has been received it will need to be held for a minimum of one year or until the teen reaches the age of 18. The teen driver may not have more than one passenger in the car under the age of 21 who is not an immediate family member. The teen driver may not operate the car between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 years or older. Exceptions are permitted for school, employment, family and medical need, or religious functions. During times of these exceptions the teen driver must carry a statement from the appropriate school, employer, Doctor, Religious Official or Parent/Legal Guardian.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The 12-month minimum period for which an individual is required to hold a provisional license before obtaining a regular driver's license is also extended by 30 days for each traffic violation, committed during the time the individual was driving with the provisional license, for which the individual was convicted or adjudicated delinquent.
Stage Two: The Provisional License
To obtain a Provisional License the teen driver must be at least 15 ½ years old, fully completed Stage One of the Graduated Licensing System, held a clean driving record for 90 days preceding the application of the Provisional License, and go into an MVD Express office with the following documents:
- Expired Instructional Permit
- 50 Hour Driving Log (must include a minimum of 10 hours of night driving)
- Certificate of Completion (from a driving school such as McGinnis School of Driving)
- Parent/Legal Guardian
In addition to the above items, if the teen driver does not hold a State issued Instructional Permit they must also bring in the following documents:
- Original State Issued Birth Certificate
- Original Social Security Card
- One Proof of New Mexico Residency
Once the Provisional License has been received it will need to be held for a minimum of one year or until the teen reaches the age of 18. The teen driver may not have more than one passenger in the car under the age of 21 who is not an immediate family member. The teen driver may not operate the car between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 years or older. Exceptions are permitted for school, employment, family and medical need, or religious functions. During times of these exceptions the teen driver must carry a statement from the appropriate school, employer, Doctor, Religious Official or Parent/Legal Guardian.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The 12-month minimum period for which an individual is required to hold a provisional license before obtaining a regular driver's license is also extended by 30 days for each traffic violation, committed during the time the individual was driving with the provisional license, for which the individual was convicted or adjudicated delinquent.
29 Kasım 2012 Perşembe
'It's Like the Devil Went Bowling'
To contact us Click HERE
M. and I were eating breakfast at the sunny end of the veranda on Thursday, and we started compiling some statistics.
• Evacuations since 2005: Three (Mason Gulch, Sand Gulch, Wetmore).
And the amount of time available dropped for each one, from six hours to thirty minutes to "Go now!"
• Pre-evacuation notices that never required leaving home: Two, one in 2011 (the Biplane Fire, a/k/a the Mason Fire) and one in 2012 (the Ditch Creek Fire). We should have received a reverse-911 evacuation notice last week, but the telephone lines had already burned by then.
• Number of smokejumper drops that you could have seen from the house in the last two years: Two, one of them just across the road.
• Named fires within one mile in the last two years that made the national incident list: Three.
• Other minor wildland fires in this area in the last two years: Five? (I would need to check the incident reports at the fire house to be sure.)
• Number of Forest Service plans presented for prescribed fires, thinning, etc. in this area since 1987, the first year that I started following the issue: Several. Six?
• Number of prescribed burns actually carried out: One, in April 2000. Some mechanical thinning was also done in the area burned over during the Mason Gulch Fire. The Forest Service claims that it helped slow the fire. But no burning or thinning has been done in the actual "interface" area, close to homes.
• Number of naturally occurring fires that were categorized as "prescribed use" and allowed to burn, only to explode after the Forest Service assured residents that everything was under control: One (Sand Gulch), in 2011.
Sticking It Out
But as much as I might call ours the "Burned-Over District" (a little scholarly joke there), I think that title really goes to the area west of Boulder, Colorado: Gold Hill, Black Tiger Gulch, Sugar Loaf, Four Mile Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, Boulder Canyon, Lefthand Canyon — All place names, all fire names.
This documentary, Above the Ashes, focuses on local residents who fought the Fourmile Fire (September 2010) on Boulder's western edge at their own homes and their neighbors', because there were simply not enough trained firefighters to cover the area. It's a good depiction of how people react — and act. (Hat tip: Wildfire Today.)
Best line: "You send four gay men into a burning house, they grab the art."
• Evacuations since 2005: Three (Mason Gulch, Sand Gulch, Wetmore).
And the amount of time available dropped for each one, from six hours to thirty minutes to "Go now!"
• Pre-evacuation notices that never required leaving home: Two, one in 2011 (the Biplane Fire, a/k/a the Mason Fire) and one in 2012 (the Ditch Creek Fire). We should have received a reverse-911 evacuation notice last week, but the telephone lines had already burned by then.
• Number of smokejumper drops that you could have seen from the house in the last two years: Two, one of them just across the road.
• Named fires within one mile in the last two years that made the national incident list: Three.
• Other minor wildland fires in this area in the last two years: Five? (I would need to check the incident reports at the fire house to be sure.)
• Number of Forest Service plans presented for prescribed fires, thinning, etc. in this area since 1987, the first year that I started following the issue: Several. Six?
• Number of prescribed burns actually carried out: One, in April 2000. Some mechanical thinning was also done in the area burned over during the Mason Gulch Fire. The Forest Service claims that it helped slow the fire. But no burning or thinning has been done in the actual "interface" area, close to homes.
• Number of naturally occurring fires that were categorized as "prescribed use" and allowed to burn, only to explode after the Forest Service assured residents that everything was under control: One (Sand Gulch), in 2011.
Sticking It Out
But as much as I might call ours the "Burned-Over District" (a little scholarly joke there), I think that title really goes to the area west of Boulder, Colorado: Gold Hill, Black Tiger Gulch, Sugar Loaf, Four Mile Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, Boulder Canyon, Lefthand Canyon — All place names, all fire names.
This documentary, Above the Ashes, focuses on local residents who fought the Fourmile Fire (September 2010) on Boulder's western edge at their own homes and their neighbors', because there were simply not enough trained firefighters to cover the area. It's a good depiction of how people react — and act. (Hat tip: Wildfire Today.)
Best line: "You send four gay men into a burning house, they grab the art."
Blog Stew — Don't be an Ingredient
To contact us Click HERE
• Forget zombies — what load for Quetzalcoatalus? Jackson Landers, the "Locovore Hunter," has an answer.
• Sportsman's Guide, a source for discounted (sometimes with good reason) outdoor gear and "Cold War dividend" militaria, mostly European, has returned to American ownership.
• Will Colorado's (known) lone wolverine, M56, get any federal help? He has covered immense amounts of territory, that's for sure.
• Sportsman's Guide, a source for discounted (sometimes with good reason) outdoor gear and "Cold War dividend" militaria, mostly European, has returned to American ownership.
• Will Colorado's (known) lone wolverine, M56, get any federal help? He has covered immense amounts of territory, that's for sure.
Sheep May Safely Graze
To contact us Click HERE
Part of a flock of bighorn sheep seen grazing in the Wet Mountains today. There were actually about twice as many of them than the picture shows.
This flock was, I think, (re)established by transplanting in the 1970s and 1980s. Today's was the largest group that I have seen in the area. Several rams were in with the ewes, busy sniffing their butts — it's that time of year.
Part of a flock of bighorn sheep seen grazing in the Wet Mountains today. There were actually about twice as many of them than the picture shows.This flock was, I think, (re)established by transplanting in the 1970s and 1980s. Today's was the largest group that I have seen in the area. Several rams were in with the ewes, busy sniffing their butts — it's that time of year.
Bigfoot DNA — Whose?
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Various people are having their say about comparisons underway between human DNA and that of alleged Bigfoot hair samples.
Brian Sykes, one of the researchers, is a geneticist who has figured in a lot of high-profile cases, like sorting out the murdered Romanovs.
And the obvious question: how do you know you have a Bigfoot sample? Benjamin Radford of The Skeptical Inquirer notes,
Brian Sykes, one of the researchers, is a geneticist who has figured in a lot of high-profile cases, like sorting out the murdered Romanovs.
And the obvious question: how do you know you have a Bigfoot sample? Benjamin Radford of The Skeptical Inquirer notes,
Previous alleged Bigfoot samples subjected to DNA analysis have been deemed "unknown" or "unidentified." However, "unknown" or "unidentified" results do not mean "Bigfoot." There are many reasons why a DNA sample might come back unknown, including that it was contaminated or too degraded by environmental conditions. Or it could simply mean that the animal it came from was not among the reference samples that the laboratory used for comparison. There is no reference sample of Bigfoot DNA to compare it with, so by definition, there cannot be a conclusive match.Anthropologist and blogger John Hawks says that he is withholding judgment, adding,
One benefit of the world of genetics as opposed to traditional anthropology: The original sequence data must be made available to the public. No data, no discovery.Two big hurdles to jump there before you can start talking about "indigenous people."
FAQ's About Document Management
To contact us Click HERE
When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
Why is document management important?
Today, 80% of all mission-critical data is unstructured, 7.5% of all documents get lost, and 3% of the remainder are misfiled. Organizations are quickly realizing that document management is becoming necessary in order to be more successful. Organizing documents and information through the use of technology ultimately leads to higher productivity, greater efficiency, and improved performance. With an electronic document management system in place, your organization will be able to spend its efforts on the more important and core aspects of your business.What types of records are being imaged?
It runs the gamut: everything from student and personnel records to board minutes and engineering plans. Many of these records have retention requirements. For others, imaging helps streamline specific business processes.What are some of the advantages of scanning records, as opposed to just storing them in boxes or filing cabinets?
There are numerous advantages to scanning records. Imaging critical documents results in significant savings in both time and money because information is organized. Once imaged, you can instantly access any record from your desktop computer. This can reduce storage space by as much as 80% or more. Document search time is also greatly expedited. Requests for documents can be streamlined, completely processed, and printed, faxed, or emailed to the requestor in a matter of seconds. In addition, organizing imaged documents in a database can help with security, by granting access to only authorized users.How do I access information after it has been scanned?
Each record type can be setup with key searchable fields, such as date, first name, last name, APN number, etc. In addition, optical character recognition (OCR) makes electronic documents searchable by every word, so that they can be mined for specific information.How much does document conversion cost?
Price varies depending on size and volume of the documents. On average, scanning typically costs the same as a photocopy (a standard storage box measuring 10"x12"x16" holds approximately 2,500 pages).What format is used for scanning files?
The standard format in the industry for scanned files is TIFF. However, records are also commonly scanned as PDF, PDF/A, and JPG, among others.For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
28 Kasım 2012 Çarşamba
Florida voter law revelation
To contact us Click HERE
Former Florida Governor, Charlie Crist. (photo: Getty Images)
new Florida law that contributed to long voter lines and caused some to abandon voting altogether was intentionally designed by Florida GOP staff and consultants to inhibit Democratic voters, former GOP officials and current GOP consultants have told The Palm Beach Post.
Republican leaders said in proposing the law that it was meant to save money and fight voter fraud. But a former GOP chairman and former Gov. Charlie Crist, both of whom have been ousted from the party, now say that fraud concerns were advanced only as subterfuge for the law's main purpose: GOP victory.
Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer says he attended various meetings, beginning in 2009, at which party staffers and consultants pushed for reductions in early voting days and hours.
"The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates," Greer told The Post. "It's done for one reason and one reason only. … 'We've got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us,' " Greer said he was told by those staffers and consultants.
"They never came in to see me and tell me we had a (voter) fraud issue," Greer said. "It's all a marketing ploy."
Greer is now under indictment, accused of stealing $200,000 from the party through a phony campaign fundraising operation. He, in turn, has sued the party, saying GOP leaders knew what he was doing and voiced no objection.
"Jim Greer has been accused of criminal acts against this organization and anything he says has to be considered in that light," says Brian Burgess, Florida GOP spokesman since September.
But Greer's statements about the motivations for the party's legislative efforts, implemented by a GOP-majority House and Senate in Tallahassee in 2011, are backed by Crist - also now on the outs with the party - and two veteran GOP campaign consultants.
Wayne Bertsch, who handles local and legislative races for Republicans, said he knew targeting Democrats was the goal.
"In the races I was involved in in 2008, when we started seeing the increase of turnout and the turnout operations that the Democrats were doing in early voting, it certainly sent a chill down our spines. And in 2008, it didn't have the impact that we were afraid of. It got close, but it wasn't the impact that they had this election cycle," Bertsch said, referring to the fact that Democrats picked up seven legislative seats in Florida in 2012 despite the early voting limitations.
Another GOP consultant, who did not want to be named, also confirmed that influential consultants to the Republican Party of Florida were intent on beating back Democratic turnout in early voting after 2008.
In 2008 Democrats, especially African-Americans, turned out in unprecedented numbers for President Barack Obama, many of them casting ballots during 14 early voting days. In Palm Beach County, 61.2 percent of all early voting ballots were cast by Democrats that year, compared with 18.7 percent by Republicans.
In 2011 Republicans, who had super majorities in both chambers of the legislature, passed HB 1355, which curtailed early voting days from 14 to eight; greatly proscribed the activities of voter registration organizations like the League of Women Voters; and made it harder for voters who had changed counties since the last election to cast ballots, a move that affected minorities proportionately more than whites. The League and others challenged the law in court, and a federal judge threw out most of the provisions related to voter registration organizations.
Various voter registration organizations, minority coalitions and Democratic office holders are now demanding investigations either by state or federal officials.
On Oct. 26, The Post published a story citing a deposition by Florida GOP General Counsel Emmett "Bucky" Mitchell IV in litigation between Florida and the U.S. Justice Department over HB 1355. Mitchell described a meeting near New Year's Day 2011, in which he was approached by GOP staffers and consultants to write the bill that would become HB 1355.
He said the meeting had followed other conversations with those same GOP officials and consultants since the fall of 2010.
Crist said he was asked to curb early voting Crist said party leaders approached him during his 2007-2011 gubernatorial term about changing early voting, in an effort to suppress Democrat turnout. Crist is now at odds with the GOP, since abandoning the party to run for U.S. Senate as an independent in 2010. He is rumored to be planning another run for governor, as a Democrat.
Crist said in a telephone interview this month that he did not recall conversations about early voting specifically targeting black voters "but it looked to me like that was what was being suggested. And I didn't want them to go there at all."
About inhibiting minority voters, Greer said:"The sad thing about that is yes, there is prejudice and racism in the party but the real prevailing thought is that they don't think minorities will ever vote Republican," he said. "It's not really a broad-based racist issue. It's simply that the Republican Party gave up a long time ago ever believing that anything they did would get minorities to vote for them."
But a GOP consultant who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution said black voters were a concern.
"I know that the cutting out of the Sunday before Election Day was one of their targets only because that's a big day when the black churches organize themselves," he said.
GOP spokesman Burgess discounted Crist's statement to The Post.
"Charlie Crist speaks out of both sides of his mouth," he said.
Former Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning, a Republican, has spoken favorably about HB 1355, because he believes its 12-hour early voting days - the law previously limited them to eight hours a day - give voters more flexibility to vote before or after work.
"But reducing early voting days does not attack voter fraud and given the longer days, it certainly does not save money," Browning has said.
In a 2011 deposition in the litigation over HB 1355, Browning said that while he was always concerned with voter fraud, he did not see it as a large problem in the state and that was why he did not include any mention of it in his legislative goals for 2011.
"It wasn't an issue that rose to the level to place it in our package," Browning said.
Greer told The Post that people who attended the GOP's behind-the-scenes meetings on early voting included: Andy Palmer, former state GOP executive director, now a Tallahassee political consultant; Bret Prater, head of party development; Randy Enwright of Enwright Consulting, a veteran Tallahassee political consultant; Jim Rimes, former state GOP executive director and now a consultant with Enwright; Kirk Pepper, a former top aide to House Speaker Dean Cannon; and Rich Heffley, a former top aide to Crist.
The Post contacted all of them. GOP spokesman Burgess responded for Palmer and Prater and also for Frank Terraferma, director of state House campaigns, who had been named in the Bucky Mitchell deposition as attending the meeting about the drafting of 1355.
"If what Greer said had happened, that would be wrong and he should have fired those men," Burgess said. "Why didn't he fire them? They said they were never in any meeting with Jim Greer of that kind. They never had meetings of that kind."
The other four did not respond.
Ex-House speaker: Law meant to curb fraud Cannon, who took over as House speaker in 2010, said he had no conversations about early voting with GOP strategists and that he believed HB 1355 was aimed at voter fraud.
"I don't recall anybody talking about some tactical advantage or need to curtail early voting," said Cannon, who has launched a lobbying business in Tallahassee since his term as a state representative ended this month.
But Crist, who extended early voting hours in 2008 by executive order to address long lines during that presidential election, said he was approached about early voting but told the GOP consultants and staffers that he would veto any proposed legislative changes that would reduce early voting.
"The people that worked in Tallahassee felt that early voting was bad, " Crist said. "And I heard about it after I signed the executive order expanding it. I heard from Republicans around the state who were bold enough to share it with me that, 'You just gave the election to Barack Obama.'"
It wasn't until Gov. Rick Scott took office in January 2011 that the idea went anywhere. It passed the legislature that session and Scott signed it into law.
"I assume they decided, 'It's 2011, Crist is gone, let's give it a shot,'" Crist said. "And that's exactly what they did. And it is exactly what it turned out to be."
Before signing the law, Scott said he wanted to make voting easier and to eliminate voter fraud. Recently, he asked Secretary of State Ken Detzner to look into problems with the November election and to recommend changes if necessary.
Purging of non-citizensoff voter rolls discussedBesides early voting, Greer said other issues discussed at the behind-the-scenes meetings were voter registration organizations, attempts to have Florida Supreme Court judges defeated at the polls and the purging of voters on the rolls who might not be U.S. citizens.
"There is absolutely nothing with their absolute obsession with retaining power that they wouldn't do - changing the election laws to reduce early voting, to keep organizations like the League of Women Voters from registering people, going after the Supreme Court justices," Greer said of his former colleagues.
HB 1355 greatly reduced the time voter registration organizations had to hand in registration applications and imposed hefty fines for any violation of the time guidelines, which forced the largest voter registration organizations to suspend activities, afraid they might incur fines they couldn't afford. The League of Women Voters suspended its activities in Florida for the first time in nine decades.
A federal judge subsequently struck down those parts of 1355 and registration organizations resumed their activities over the summer of 2012.
The Division of Elections under Scott also issued purge lists for non-citizen voters, which several county elections supervisors have criticized as being filled with errors. The attempted voter purge resulted in several lawsuits against Scott's administration, and nearly all of the state's elections supervisors abandoned the effort in the months leading up to the presidential election.
And the Republican Party of Florida waged a campaign to defeat three Supreme Court justices this fall. Voters chose to retain all three.
Former Florida Governor, Charlie Crist. (photo: Getty Images)
Former GOP Leaders
Admit to Voter Suppression
By Dara Kam and John Lantigua, Palm Beach Post27 November 12readersupportednews.org new Florida law that contributed to long voter lines and caused some to abandon voting altogether was intentionally designed by Florida GOP staff and consultants to inhibit Democratic voters, former GOP officials and current GOP consultants have told The Palm Beach Post.Republican leaders said in proposing the law that it was meant to save money and fight voter fraud. But a former GOP chairman and former Gov. Charlie Crist, both of whom have been ousted from the party, now say that fraud concerns were advanced only as subterfuge for the law's main purpose: GOP victory.
Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer says he attended various meetings, beginning in 2009, at which party staffers and consultants pushed for reductions in early voting days and hours.
"The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates," Greer told The Post. "It's done for one reason and one reason only. … 'We've got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us,' " Greer said he was told by those staffers and consultants.
"They never came in to see me and tell me we had a (voter) fraud issue," Greer said. "It's all a marketing ploy."
Greer is now under indictment, accused of stealing $200,000 from the party through a phony campaign fundraising operation. He, in turn, has sued the party, saying GOP leaders knew what he was doing and voiced no objection.
"Jim Greer has been accused of criminal acts against this organization and anything he says has to be considered in that light," says Brian Burgess, Florida GOP spokesman since September.
But Greer's statements about the motivations for the party's legislative efforts, implemented by a GOP-majority House and Senate in Tallahassee in 2011, are backed by Crist - also now on the outs with the party - and two veteran GOP campaign consultants.
Wayne Bertsch, who handles local and legislative races for Republicans, said he knew targeting Democrats was the goal.
"In the races I was involved in in 2008, when we started seeing the increase of turnout and the turnout operations that the Democrats were doing in early voting, it certainly sent a chill down our spines. And in 2008, it didn't have the impact that we were afraid of. It got close, but it wasn't the impact that they had this election cycle," Bertsch said, referring to the fact that Democrats picked up seven legislative seats in Florida in 2012 despite the early voting limitations.
Another GOP consultant, who did not want to be named, also confirmed that influential consultants to the Republican Party of Florida were intent on beating back Democratic turnout in early voting after 2008.
In 2008 Democrats, especially African-Americans, turned out in unprecedented numbers for President Barack Obama, many of them casting ballots during 14 early voting days. In Palm Beach County, 61.2 percent of all early voting ballots were cast by Democrats that year, compared with 18.7 percent by Republicans.
In 2011 Republicans, who had super majorities in both chambers of the legislature, passed HB 1355, which curtailed early voting days from 14 to eight; greatly proscribed the activities of voter registration organizations like the League of Women Voters; and made it harder for voters who had changed counties since the last election to cast ballots, a move that affected minorities proportionately more than whites. The League and others challenged the law in court, and a federal judge threw out most of the provisions related to voter registration organizations.
Various voter registration organizations, minority coalitions and Democratic office holders are now demanding investigations either by state or federal officials.
On Oct. 26, The Post published a story citing a deposition by Florida GOP General Counsel Emmett "Bucky" Mitchell IV in litigation between Florida and the U.S. Justice Department over HB 1355. Mitchell described a meeting near New Year's Day 2011, in which he was approached by GOP staffers and consultants to write the bill that would become HB 1355.
He said the meeting had followed other conversations with those same GOP officials and consultants since the fall of 2010.
Crist said he was asked to curb early voting Crist said party leaders approached him during his 2007-2011 gubernatorial term about changing early voting, in an effort to suppress Democrat turnout. Crist is now at odds with the GOP, since abandoning the party to run for U.S. Senate as an independent in 2010. He is rumored to be planning another run for governor, as a Democrat.
Crist said in a telephone interview this month that he did not recall conversations about early voting specifically targeting black voters "but it looked to me like that was what was being suggested. And I didn't want them to go there at all."
About inhibiting minority voters, Greer said:"The sad thing about that is yes, there is prejudice and racism in the party but the real prevailing thought is that they don't think minorities will ever vote Republican," he said. "It's not really a broad-based racist issue. It's simply that the Republican Party gave up a long time ago ever believing that anything they did would get minorities to vote for them."
But a GOP consultant who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution said black voters were a concern.
"I know that the cutting out of the Sunday before Election Day was one of their targets only because that's a big day when the black churches organize themselves," he said.
GOP spokesman Burgess discounted Crist's statement to The Post.
"Charlie Crist speaks out of both sides of his mouth," he said.
Former Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning, a Republican, has spoken favorably about HB 1355, because he believes its 12-hour early voting days - the law previously limited them to eight hours a day - give voters more flexibility to vote before or after work.
"But reducing early voting days does not attack voter fraud and given the longer days, it certainly does not save money," Browning has said.
In a 2011 deposition in the litigation over HB 1355, Browning said that while he was always concerned with voter fraud, he did not see it as a large problem in the state and that was why he did not include any mention of it in his legislative goals for 2011.
"It wasn't an issue that rose to the level to place it in our package," Browning said.
Greer told The Post that people who attended the GOP's behind-the-scenes meetings on early voting included: Andy Palmer, former state GOP executive director, now a Tallahassee political consultant; Bret Prater, head of party development; Randy Enwright of Enwright Consulting, a veteran Tallahassee political consultant; Jim Rimes, former state GOP executive director and now a consultant with Enwright; Kirk Pepper, a former top aide to House Speaker Dean Cannon; and Rich Heffley, a former top aide to Crist.
The Post contacted all of them. GOP spokesman Burgess responded for Palmer and Prater and also for Frank Terraferma, director of state House campaigns, who had been named in the Bucky Mitchell deposition as attending the meeting about the drafting of 1355.
"If what Greer said had happened, that would be wrong and he should have fired those men," Burgess said. "Why didn't he fire them? They said they were never in any meeting with Jim Greer of that kind. They never had meetings of that kind."
The other four did not respond.
Ex-House speaker: Law meant to curb fraud Cannon, who took over as House speaker in 2010, said he had no conversations about early voting with GOP strategists and that he believed HB 1355 was aimed at voter fraud.
"I don't recall anybody talking about some tactical advantage or need to curtail early voting," said Cannon, who has launched a lobbying business in Tallahassee since his term as a state representative ended this month.
But Crist, who extended early voting hours in 2008 by executive order to address long lines during that presidential election, said he was approached about early voting but told the GOP consultants and staffers that he would veto any proposed legislative changes that would reduce early voting.
"The people that worked in Tallahassee felt that early voting was bad, " Crist said. "And I heard about it after I signed the executive order expanding it. I heard from Republicans around the state who were bold enough to share it with me that, 'You just gave the election to Barack Obama.'"
It wasn't until Gov. Rick Scott took office in January 2011 that the idea went anywhere. It passed the legislature that session and Scott signed it into law.
"I assume they decided, 'It's 2011, Crist is gone, let's give it a shot,'" Crist said. "And that's exactly what they did. And it is exactly what it turned out to be."
Before signing the law, Scott said he wanted to make voting easier and to eliminate voter fraud. Recently, he asked Secretary of State Ken Detzner to look into problems with the November election and to recommend changes if necessary.
Purging of non-citizensoff voter rolls discussedBesides early voting, Greer said other issues discussed at the behind-the-scenes meetings were voter registration organizations, attempts to have Florida Supreme Court judges defeated at the polls and the purging of voters on the rolls who might not be U.S. citizens.
"There is absolutely nothing with their absolute obsession with retaining power that they wouldn't do - changing the election laws to reduce early voting, to keep organizations like the League of Women Voters from registering people, going after the Supreme Court justices," Greer said of his former colleagues.
HB 1355 greatly reduced the time voter registration organizations had to hand in registration applications and imposed hefty fines for any violation of the time guidelines, which forced the largest voter registration organizations to suspend activities, afraid they might incur fines they couldn't afford. The League of Women Voters suspended its activities in Florida for the first time in nine decades.
A federal judge subsequently struck down those parts of 1355 and registration organizations resumed their activities over the summer of 2012.
The Division of Elections under Scott also issued purge lists for non-citizen voters, which several county elections supervisors have criticized as being filled with errors. The attempted voter purge resulted in several lawsuits against Scott's administration, and nearly all of the state's elections supervisors abandoned the effort in the months leading up to the presidential election.
And the Republican Party of Florida waged a campaign to defeat three Supreme Court justices this fall. Voters chose to retain all three.
PHS drama presents Acts of Christmas
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Click on image to enlarge.
The Longhorn Theatre Jr. Thespians alongwith the High School Longhorn Theatre Company will open their first play of theseason on Dec. 6.
“Acts of Christmas” are threeshort plays that will warm your hearts. “A Star in the window” isabout a shopkeeper’s kind heart who gives Christmas a special meaning.
“A Tree to Trim” is about a stodgy professor who comes tounderstand the joys of Christmas with the help of his trusted assistant and thechildren next door. Lastly
“The Christmas Visitor” is about anorphan who shows a rich but unhappy couple the true meaning of Christmas.
Theplays are produced through Plays, the drama magazine for young people. All three shows will play in the High School Auditorium Dec. 6 and 7. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for Students and Senior Citizens.
Click on image to enlarge. The Longhorn Theatre Jr. Thespians alongwith the High School Longhorn Theatre Company will open their first play of theseason on Dec. 6.
“Acts of Christmas” are threeshort plays that will warm your hearts. “A Star in the window” isabout a shopkeeper’s kind heart who gives Christmas a special meaning.
“A Tree to Trim” is about a stodgy professor who comes tounderstand the joys of Christmas with the help of his trusted assistant and thechildren next door. Lastly
“The Christmas Visitor” is about anorphan who shows a rich but unhappy couple the true meaning of Christmas.
Theplays are produced through Plays, the drama magazine for young people. All three shows will play in the High School Auditorium Dec. 6 and 7. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for Students and Senior Citizens.
Teens on the Road: The Process to Getting a Driver's License - Part One
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Having a teenager begin to drive can be stressful enough; add in trying to understand the process to get them their first driver's license, and the experience can be downright frustrating. In this three part series we are going to discuss the process, the steps you need to take, and the documents you will need along the way.
The first thing you need to know is that it is a three stage process referred to as the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System.
Stage One: Instructional Permit
To get an Instructional Permit, a teen must be at least 15 years old, enrolled in Driver’s Education and go into a MVD Express office with the following documents:
· Driver Education Referral Card
Once the permit has been received it must be held for a minimum of six months. The Driver will be issued a maximum of two Instructional Permits. The Driver must drive with an adult 21 or older who has been licensed for a minimum of three years. The Driver must also complete a detailed log of at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, in which 10 of these hours must be at night. A parent or guardian must certify in writing that these hours have been completed. The Driver will need to maintain a clean driving record for the 90 days preceding the application of stage two - the provisional license.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The first thing you need to know is that it is a three stage process referred to as the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System.
Stage One: Instructional Permit
To get an Instructional Permit, a teen must be at least 15 years old, enrolled in Driver’s Education and go into a MVD Express office with the following documents:
· Driver Education Referral Card
Once the permit has been received it must be held for a minimum of six months. The Driver will be issued a maximum of two Instructional Permits. The Driver must drive with an adult 21 or older who has been licensed for a minimum of three years. The Driver must also complete a detailed log of at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, in which 10 of these hours must be at night. A parent or guardian must certify in writing that these hours have been completed. The Driver will need to maintain a clean driving record for the 90 days preceding the application of stage two - the provisional license.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
Teens on the Road: The Process to Getting a Driver's License - Part Two
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In Part One of “Teens on the Road” we discussed the process of obtaining an Instructional Permit. Today we will discuss stage two of the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System, the Provisional License.
Stage Two: The Provisional License
To obtain a Provisional License the teen driver must be at least 15 ½ years old, fully completed Stage One of the Graduated Licensing System, held a clean driving record for 90 days preceding the application of the Provisional License, and go into an MVD Express office with the following documents:
In addition to the above items, if the teen driver does not hold a State issued Instructional Permit they must also bring in the following documents:
Once the Provisional License has been received it will need to be held for a minimum of one year or until the teen reaches the age of 18. The teen driver may not have more than one passenger in the car under the age of 21 who is not an immediate family member. The teen driver may not operate the car between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 years or older. Exceptions are permitted for school, employment, family and medical need, or religious functions. During times of these exceptions the teen driver must carry a statement from the appropriate school, employer, Doctor, Religious Official or Parent/Legal Guardian.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The 12-month minimum period for which an individual is required to hold a provisional license before obtaining a regular driver's license is also extended by 30 days for each traffic violation, committed during the time the individual was driving with the provisional license, for which the individual was convicted or adjudicated delinquent.
Stage Two: The Provisional License
To obtain a Provisional License the teen driver must be at least 15 ½ years old, fully completed Stage One of the Graduated Licensing System, held a clean driving record for 90 days preceding the application of the Provisional License, and go into an MVD Express office with the following documents:
- Expired Instructional Permit
- 50 Hour Driving Log (must include a minimum of 10 hours of night driving)
- Certificate of Completion (from a driving school such as McGinnis School of Driving)
- Parent/Legal Guardian
In addition to the above items, if the teen driver does not hold a State issued Instructional Permit they must also bring in the following documents:
- Original State Issued Birth Certificate
- Original Social Security Card
- One Proof of New Mexico Residency
Once the Provisional License has been received it will need to be held for a minimum of one year or until the teen reaches the age of 18. The teen driver may not have more than one passenger in the car under the age of 21 who is not an immediate family member. The teen driver may not operate the car between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 years or older. Exceptions are permitted for school, employment, family and medical need, or religious functions. During times of these exceptions the teen driver must carry a statement from the appropriate school, employer, Doctor, Religious Official or Parent/Legal Guardian.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The 12-month minimum period for which an individual is required to hold a provisional license before obtaining a regular driver's license is also extended by 30 days for each traffic violation, committed during the time the individual was driving with the provisional license, for which the individual was convicted or adjudicated delinquent.
Driver's License Suspension vs. Revocation
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Driver's License Suspension vs. Revocation in Arizona
In Arizona is there a difference between your driver’s license being suspended vs. revoked? What is the difference between a driver’s license suspension and a revocation?
In Arizona, it is important to understand that driving is a privilege governed by the State through the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicles Division (MVD). Driving is not a right. Arizona courts hear both civil and criminal matters involving crimes and violations that may affect your driving record. Your driving record in turn may then affect the status of your license leading to suspension or revocation.
Suspension
In Arizona, a driver’s license suspension is the temporary removal of your license or privilege to drive. This is an action taken by Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicles Division (MVD) after a review of your driving record also referred to as your Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). If your license is suspended, then it must be reinstated before you can legally drive. A driver’s license suspension will remain in effect until the prescribed time period of the suspension is served and you make an application for reinstatement and pay the applicable reinstatement fee.
Revocation
Re-establishing your ability to drive after a revocation is more difficult than a suspension. In Arizona, a driver’s license revocation is the complete removal of your license or privilege to drive. Your license will remain revoked until you apply for a new license. As part of the application for a new license, you must submit and pass an investigation into your driving record. All outstanding obligations must be satisfied in order to qualify for re-instatement of your privilege to drive.
Suspension vs. Revocation
A license suspension is for a definite period of time. With a suspension, once the suspension period has elapsed, your license is eligible for re-instatement. During your suspension period you may be eligible for restricted privileges. A license revocation on the other hand is the complete removal of your license. After a revocation, you must apply for a new license and during the revocation you are not eligible for restricted privileges.
THE LAW OFFICE OF KARL A. MUELLER, PLC
Website: www.AzTrialLawyer.com
Call (602) 697-8761
Free 24 Hour Consultations
In Arizona is there a difference between your driver’s license being suspended vs. revoked? What is the difference between a driver’s license suspension and a revocation?
In Arizona, it is important to understand that driving is a privilege governed by the State through the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicles Division (MVD). Driving is not a right. Arizona courts hear both civil and criminal matters involving crimes and violations that may affect your driving record. Your driving record in turn may then affect the status of your license leading to suspension or revocation.
Suspension
In Arizona, a driver’s license suspension is the temporary removal of your license or privilege to drive. This is an action taken by Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicles Division (MVD) after a review of your driving record also referred to as your Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). If your license is suspended, then it must be reinstated before you can legally drive. A driver’s license suspension will remain in effect until the prescribed time period of the suspension is served and you make an application for reinstatement and pay the applicable reinstatement fee.
Revocation
Re-establishing your ability to drive after a revocation is more difficult than a suspension. In Arizona, a driver’s license revocation is the complete removal of your license or privilege to drive. Your license will remain revoked until you apply for a new license. As part of the application for a new license, you must submit and pass an investigation into your driving record. All outstanding obligations must be satisfied in order to qualify for re-instatement of your privilege to drive.
Suspension vs. Revocation
A license suspension is for a definite period of time. With a suspension, once the suspension period has elapsed, your license is eligible for re-instatement. During your suspension period you may be eligible for restricted privileges. A license revocation on the other hand is the complete removal of your license. After a revocation, you must apply for a new license and during the revocation you are not eligible for restricted privileges.
THE LAW OFFICE OF KARL A. MUELLER, PLC
Website: www.AzTrialLawyer.com
Call (602) 697-8761
Free 24 Hour Consultations
27 Kasım 2012 Salı
Under the Volcano (2): A 'Critical' Mission
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I am just back from a "critical' mission, driving around putting fliers on residents' doors reminding them to check to see if firefighters had turned off their propane tanks, that food might have spoiled because the power was off, or that we might have cut their fences.
"Smoke may still be seen over the coming weeks and months," the flier warns. Yup.
Certainly I was tempted to some fences on Tuesday evening while chasing spot fires in a cottonwood grove located on an old dairy farm. It was like a World War One battlefield — barbed wire fences everywhere in the trees, while loose pieces of wire waited to wrap around your ankles.
Yesterday — Wednesday — the fire had moved into grassland and scatted piñon-juniper country. The forecast renewed southwest wind never arrived, and with lighter winds, the aerial tankers (both fixed-wing and rotary) were on the job. It was good to see them overhead, especially when I went home to get a change of clothes, toiletries, etc. for M. and myself.
Because part of the fire was on public land, the Forest Service and BLM presence was heavy. Rather than fire-fighting, I found myself moving more folding tables and chairs from the community center to the fire house so that the "overhead" could spread out their laptop computers, maps, charts, and ample catered food.
An eager-beaver state patrolman actually pulled over my partner and me — a suspicious civilian pickup truck, loaded with tables and chairs. Must be looters!
Aside from that, we did truck and pump maintenance and ate some of the abundant food that the logistics people had procured.
The sheriff has said that power lines hitting trees in the wind (gusting over 70 mph) caused the fire. I did hear some radio chatter Wednesday evening about a "large piece of evidence" being impounded, but I do not know what it was.
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| Steam rises from a house foundation being hosed down. |
"Smoke may still be seen over the coming weeks and months," the flier warns. Yup.
Certainly I was tempted to some fences on Tuesday evening while chasing spot fires in a cottonwood grove located on an old dairy farm. It was like a World War One battlefield — barbed wire fences everywhere in the trees, while loose pieces of wire waited to wrap around your ankles.
Yesterday — Wednesday — the fire had moved into grassland and scatted piñon-juniper country. The forecast renewed southwest wind never arrived, and with lighter winds, the aerial tankers (both fixed-wing and rotary) were on the job. It was good to see them overhead, especially when I went home to get a change of clothes, toiletries, etc. for M. and myself.
 | |
| All the apparatus bays were full of tables, chairs, and people planning. |
An eager-beaver state patrolman actually pulled over my partner and me — a suspicious civilian pickup truck, loaded with tables and chairs. Must be looters!
Aside from that, we did truck and pump maintenance and ate some of the abundant food that the logistics people had procured.
The sheriff has said that power lines hitting trees in the wind (gusting over 70 mph) caused the fire. I did hear some radio chatter Wednesday evening about a "large piece of evidence" being impounded, but I do not know what it was.
'It's Like the Devil Went Bowling'
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M. and I were eating breakfast at the sunny end of the veranda on Thursday, and we started compiling some statistics.
• Evacuations since 2005: Three (Mason Gulch, Sand Gulch, Wetmore).
And the amount of time available dropped for each one, from six hours to thirty minutes to "Go now!"
• Pre-evacuation notices that never required leaving home: Two, one in 2011 (the Biplane Fire, a/k/a the Mason Fire) and one in 2012 (the Ditch Creek Fire). We should have received a reverse-911 evacuation notice last week, but the telephone lines had already burned by then.
• Number of smokejumper drops that you could have seen from the house in the last two years: Two, one of them just across the road.
• Named fires within one mile in the last two years that made the national incident list: Three.
• Other minor wildland fires in this area in the last two years: Five? (I would need to check the incident reports at the fire house to be sure.)
• Number of Forest Service plans presented for prescribed fires, thinning, etc. in this area since 1987, the first year that I started following the issue: Several. Six?
• Number of prescribed burns actually carried out: One, in April 2000. Some mechanical thinning was also done in the area burned over during the Mason Gulch Fire. The Forest Service claims that it helped slow the fire. But no burning or thinning has been done in the actual "interface" area, close to homes.
• Number of naturally occurring fires that were categorized as "prescribed use" and allowed to burn, only to explode after the Forest Service assured residents that everything was under control: One (Sand Gulch), in 2011.
Sticking It Out
But as much as I might call ours the "Burned-Over District" (a little scholarly joke there), I think that title really goes to the area west of Boulder, Colorado: Gold Hill, Black Tiger Gulch, Sugar Loaf, Four Mile Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, Boulder Canyon, Lefthand Canyon — All place names, all fire names.
This documentary, Above the Ashes, focuses on local residents who fought the Fourmile Fire (September 2010) on Boulder's western edge at their own homes and their neighbors', because there were simply not enough trained firefighters to cover the area. It's a good depiction of how people react — and act. (Hat tip: Wildfire Today.)
Best line: "You send four gay men into a burning house, they grab the art."
• Evacuations since 2005: Three (Mason Gulch, Sand Gulch, Wetmore).
And the amount of time available dropped for each one, from six hours to thirty minutes to "Go now!"
• Pre-evacuation notices that never required leaving home: Two, one in 2011 (the Biplane Fire, a/k/a the Mason Fire) and one in 2012 (the Ditch Creek Fire). We should have received a reverse-911 evacuation notice last week, but the telephone lines had already burned by then.
• Number of smokejumper drops that you could have seen from the house in the last two years: Two, one of them just across the road.
• Named fires within one mile in the last two years that made the national incident list: Three.
• Other minor wildland fires in this area in the last two years: Five? (I would need to check the incident reports at the fire house to be sure.)
• Number of Forest Service plans presented for prescribed fires, thinning, etc. in this area since 1987, the first year that I started following the issue: Several. Six?
• Number of prescribed burns actually carried out: One, in April 2000. Some mechanical thinning was also done in the area burned over during the Mason Gulch Fire. The Forest Service claims that it helped slow the fire. But no burning or thinning has been done in the actual "interface" area, close to homes.
• Number of naturally occurring fires that were categorized as "prescribed use" and allowed to burn, only to explode after the Forest Service assured residents that everything was under control: One (Sand Gulch), in 2011.
Sticking It Out
But as much as I might call ours the "Burned-Over District" (a little scholarly joke there), I think that title really goes to the area west of Boulder, Colorado: Gold Hill, Black Tiger Gulch, Sugar Loaf, Four Mile Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, Boulder Canyon, Lefthand Canyon — All place names, all fire names.
This documentary, Above the Ashes, focuses on local residents who fought the Fourmile Fire (September 2010) on Boulder's western edge at their own homes and their neighbors', because there were simply not enough trained firefighters to cover the area. It's a good depiction of how people react — and act. (Hat tip: Wildfire Today.)
Best line: "You send four gay men into a burning house, they grab the art."
Blog Stew — Don't be an Ingredient
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• Forget zombies — what load for Quetzalcoatalus? Jackson Landers, the "Locovore Hunter," has an answer.
• Sportsman's Guide, a source for discounted (sometimes with good reason) outdoor gear and "Cold War dividend" militaria, mostly European, has returned to American ownership.
• Will Colorado's (known) lone wolverine, M56, get any federal help? He has covered immense amounts of territory, that's for sure.
• Sportsman's Guide, a source for discounted (sometimes with good reason) outdoor gear and "Cold War dividend" militaria, mostly European, has returned to American ownership.
• Will Colorado's (known) lone wolverine, M56, get any federal help? He has covered immense amounts of territory, that's for sure.
The Great Plains Tour of 2012
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In the last five weeks, I have traveled (on the ground) from Colorado through eastern Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas — from end to end four times — plus a corner of Iowa, Illinois, and some of Missouri.
The tour was in two parts, interrupted by that forest fire.
M. and I just drove in from Medicine Lodge, Kansas tonight, in fact. We've seen the Flint Hills, the Gypsum Hills, and all the khaki-colored country between Dodge City and the Colorado foothills.
Now I want to experience house as hibernaculum for a while — and to type a little.
NOTE: The Oliver Typewriter Co., one of the first successful manufacturers of such instruments, had its headquarters in the Oliver Building on Dearborn Street.
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| Cast letters on the Oliver Building, Chicago. See note below. |
The tour was in two parts, interrupted by that forest fire.
M. and I just drove in from Medicine Lodge, Kansas tonight, in fact. We've seen the Flint Hills, the Gypsum Hills, and all the khaki-colored country between Dodge City and the Colorado foothills.
Now I want to experience house as hibernaculum for a while — and to type a little.
NOTE: The Oliver Typewriter Co., one of the first successful manufacturers of such instruments, had its headquarters in the Oliver Building on Dearborn Street.
FAQ's About Document Management
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When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
Why is document management important?
Today, 80% of all mission-critical data is unstructured, 7.5% of all documents get lost, and 3% of the remainder are misfiled. Organizations are quickly realizing that document management is becoming necessary in order to be more successful. Organizing documents and information through the use of technology ultimately leads to higher productivity, greater efficiency, and improved performance. With an electronic document management system in place, your organization will be able to spend its efforts on the more important and core aspects of your business.What types of records are being imaged?
It runs the gamut: everything from student and personnel records to board minutes and engineering plans. Many of these records have retention requirements. For others, imaging helps streamline specific business processes.What are some of the advantages of scanning records, as opposed to just storing them in boxes or filing cabinets?
There are numerous advantages to scanning records. Imaging critical documents results in significant savings in both time and money because information is organized. Once imaged, you can instantly access any record from your desktop computer. This can reduce storage space by as much as 80% or more. Document search time is also greatly expedited. Requests for documents can be streamlined, completely processed, and printed, faxed, or emailed to the requestor in a matter of seconds. In addition, organizing imaged documents in a database can help with security, by granting access to only authorized users.How do I access information after it has been scanned?
Each record type can be setup with key searchable fields, such as date, first name, last name, APN number, etc. In addition, optical character recognition (OCR) makes electronic documents searchable by every word, so that they can be mined for specific information.How much does document conversion cost?
Price varies depending on size and volume of the documents. On average, scanning typically costs the same as a photocopy (a standard storage box measuring 10"x12"x16" holds approximately 2,500 pages).What format is used for scanning files?
The standard format in the industry for scanned files is TIFF. However, records are also commonly scanned as PDF, PDF/A, and JPG, among others.For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
26 Kasım 2012 Pazartesi
What People Are Missing from this Story?
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M. and I are spending the long Thanksgiving weekend with her siblings and their spouses in a rented "chalet" on Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri—all imitation log siding, cathedral ceilings, stuffed animals (M. not too keen on them), and rustic lodge-themed art of the Hobby Lobby variety.
It's been all feasting and sleep, which is what we needed after the stressful last two weeks.
Yesterday she and I broke off from the group and hiked around in Table Rock State Park, adjacent to the big 1950s dam that created this impoundment with its 700-plus miles of shoreline. (Purposes: flood control on the White River, hydropower, recreation.)
Then we visited the Corps of Engineers visitor center at the dam. The historical exhibit began with the Osage and other Indian tribes . . . and then suddenly it was 1954. Nothing from the early 1800s until the 1950s.
Apparently the people living here then were just "dumb hillbillies" not worth memorializing except for a brief video appearance as victims in the Great Flood of 1927.
Assuming that eminent domain was employed to get the land that would be flooded, some people must have left their farms and businesses in sorrow, cursing the federal goverment.
Perhaps others took the money with delight and never looked back. Maybe others sold to private buyers for what seemed like a lot of money, while the buyer made much much more selling what would become prime lakeside building lots.
Whatever the stories are, the Corps of Engineers is not telling them.
There is a parallel with the National Park Service erasing history in Shenandoah National Park:
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| The view from the porch on a cove in Table Rock Lake. |
It's been all feasting and sleep, which is what we needed after the stressful last two weeks.
Yesterday she and I broke off from the group and hiked around in Table Rock State Park, adjacent to the big 1950s dam that created this impoundment with its 700-plus miles of shoreline. (Purposes: flood control on the White River, hydropower, recreation.)
Then we visited the Corps of Engineers visitor center at the dam. The historical exhibit began with the Osage and other Indian tribes . . . and then suddenly it was 1954. Nothing from the early 1800s until the 1950s.
Apparently the people living here then were just "dumb hillbillies" not worth memorializing except for a brief video appearance as victims in the Great Flood of 1927.
Assuming that eminent domain was employed to get the land that would be flooded, some people must have left their farms and businesses in sorrow, cursing the federal goverment.
Perhaps others took the money with delight and never looked back. Maybe others sold to private buyers for what seemed like a lot of money, while the buyer made much much more selling what would become prime lakeside building lots.
Whatever the stories are, the Corps of Engineers is not telling them.
There is a parallel with the National Park Service erasing history in Shenandoah National Park:
After all, the Blue Ridge dwellers were not only different from the mainstream of American society, but, according to one contemporary journalist, their existence in the dark hollows represented "about the limit of destitution at which human life could be sustained." Park promoters and government officials publicized thefact that "these people will be moved to more civilized regions ofagriculture and industry."I suspect that the attitude of officialdom towards the Ozarks residents was much the same, but you will not find out at the Dewey Short Visitor Center.
Are Trees the Enemy?
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Some time when driving you might a see a bumper sticker reading "Trees are the Answer," produced by the Arbor Day Foundation, whose slogan is, "We inspire people to plant, nutrure, and celebrate trees." (Interestingly, the foundation was formed in 1872, in eastern Nebraska, which was judged by settlers to need more trees.)
When M. and I moved into this house in 1992, we found in a crawlspace a box of the original owner's stuff, including this torn photograph, dated September 26, 1975 on the front and labeled "From the front porch—fall colors" on the back.
I don't know the fire history of the area. Up the ridge (180° from this view) there are a few big pine stumps and a log that was cut but never hauled away — bigger than 90 percent of today's trees.
From the 1870s–1960s, this was marginal grazing land, I think. Then part was subdivided in the early 1960s. My house and the one in the upper photograph were both built in the mid-1960s, as was the cabin that is now our guest house.
And the trees just kept growing. No fire, of course, and not enough thinning. (And you can't thin Gambel oak.)
Prescribed fire helps, but you cannot always burn right next to people's houses. Doing so makes the residents nervous, for some reason.
There is always controversuy. Take this New York Times piece by Jim Robbins, "Forest Fire Research Questions the Wisdom of Prescribed Burns," It displays that typical journalistic approach of "two sides" in disagreement. Who is "right"?
Remember this series of time-lapse photographs? The first view of the forest shows the result of lots of burning. You can get the same effect with mechanical thinning — but that is labor-intensive and then you have a lot of biomass to dispose of, usually by burning.
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| View from the front porch, September 1975 |
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| View from the front porch, November 2012. All natural reproduction. |
When M. and I moved into this house in 1992, we found in a crawlspace a box of the original owner's stuff, including this torn photograph, dated September 26, 1975 on the front and labeled "From the front porch—fall colors" on the back.
I don't know the fire history of the area. Up the ridge (180° from this view) there are a few big pine stumps and a log that was cut but never hauled away — bigger than 90 percent of today's trees.
From the 1870s–1960s, this was marginal grazing land, I think. Then part was subdivided in the early 1960s. My house and the one in the upper photograph were both built in the mid-1960s, as was the cabin that is now our guest house.
And the trees just kept growing. No fire, of course, and not enough thinning. (And you can't thin Gambel oak.)
Prescribed fire helps, but you cannot always burn right next to people's houses. Doing so makes the residents nervous, for some reason.
There is always controversuy. Take this New York Times piece by Jim Robbins, "Forest Fire Research Questions the Wisdom of Prescribed Burns," It displays that typical journalistic approach of "two sides" in disagreement. Who is "right"?
Scientists are at loggerheads over whether there is an ecological advantage to thinning forests and using prescribed fire to reduce fuel for subsequent fires — or whether those methods actually diminish ecological processes and biodiversity.I don't think it works that way, but I suppose that Robbins has played up the agonistic aspect of the story because that is how most journalists think. When it comes to sides of a story, they can't count past two.
Remember this series of time-lapse photographs? The first view of the forest shows the result of lots of burning. You can get the same effect with mechanical thinning — but that is labor-intensive and then you have a lot of biomass to dispose of, usually by burning.
Teens on the Road: The Process to Getting a Driver's License - Part One
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Having a teenager begin to drive can be stressful enough; add in trying to understand the process to get them their first driver's license, and the experience can be downright frustrating. In this three part series we are going to discuss the process, the steps you need to take, and the documents you will need along the way.
The first thing you need to know is that it is a three stage process referred to as the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System.
Stage One: Instructional Permit
To get an Instructional Permit, a teen must be at least 15 years old, enrolled in Driver’s Education and go into a MVD Express office with the following documents:
· Driver Education Referral Card
Once the permit has been received it must be held for a minimum of six months. The Driver will be issued a maximum of two Instructional Permits. The Driver must drive with an adult 21 or older who has been licensed for a minimum of three years. The Driver must also complete a detailed log of at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, in which 10 of these hours must be at night. A parent or guardian must certify in writing that these hours have been completed. The Driver will need to maintain a clean driving record for the 90 days preceding the application of stage two - the provisional license.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The first thing you need to know is that it is a three stage process referred to as the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System.
Stage One: Instructional Permit
To get an Instructional Permit, a teen must be at least 15 years old, enrolled in Driver’s Education and go into a MVD Express office with the following documents:
· Driver Education Referral Card
Once the permit has been received it must be held for a minimum of six months. The Driver will be issued a maximum of two Instructional Permits. The Driver must drive with an adult 21 or older who has been licensed for a minimum of three years. The Driver must also complete a detailed log of at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice, in which 10 of these hours must be at night. A parent or guardian must certify in writing that these hours have been completed. The Driver will need to maintain a clean driving record for the 90 days preceding the application of stage two - the provisional license.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
Teens on the Road: The Process to Getting a Driver's License - Part Two
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In Part One of “Teens on the Road” we discussed the process of obtaining an Instructional Permit. Today we will discuss stage two of the New Mexico Graduated Licensing System, the Provisional License.
Stage Two: The Provisional License
To obtain a Provisional License the teen driver must be at least 15 ½ years old, fully completed Stage One of the Graduated Licensing System, held a clean driving record for 90 days preceding the application of the Provisional License, and go into an MVD Express office with the following documents:
In addition to the above items, if the teen driver does not hold a State issued Instructional Permit they must also bring in the following documents:
Once the Provisional License has been received it will need to be held for a minimum of one year or until the teen reaches the age of 18. The teen driver may not have more than one passenger in the car under the age of 21 who is not an immediate family member. The teen driver may not operate the car between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 years or older. Exceptions are permitted for school, employment, family and medical need, or religious functions. During times of these exceptions the teen driver must carry a statement from the appropriate school, employer, Doctor, Religious Official or Parent/Legal Guardian.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The 12-month minimum period for which an individual is required to hold a provisional license before obtaining a regular driver's license is also extended by 30 days for each traffic violation, committed during the time the individual was driving with the provisional license, for which the individual was convicted or adjudicated delinquent.
Stage Two: The Provisional License
To obtain a Provisional License the teen driver must be at least 15 ½ years old, fully completed Stage One of the Graduated Licensing System, held a clean driving record for 90 days preceding the application of the Provisional License, and go into an MVD Express office with the following documents:
- Expired Instructional Permit
- 50 Hour Driving Log (must include a minimum of 10 hours of night driving)
- Certificate of Completion (from a driving school such as McGinnis School of Driving)
- Parent/Legal Guardian
In addition to the above items, if the teen driver does not hold a State issued Instructional Permit they must also bring in the following documents:
- Original State Issued Birth Certificate
- Original Social Security Card
- One Proof of New Mexico Residency
Once the Provisional License has been received it will need to be held for a minimum of one year or until the teen reaches the age of 18. The teen driver may not have more than one passenger in the car under the age of 21 who is not an immediate family member. The teen driver may not operate the car between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 years or older. Exceptions are permitted for school, employment, family and medical need, or religious functions. During times of these exceptions the teen driver must carry a statement from the appropriate school, employer, Doctor, Religious Official or Parent/Legal Guardian.
Effective June 17, Senate Bill 9, enacted by the 2011 Legislature, amends Sections 66-5-8 and 66-5-9 NMSA 1978 to provide that:
The 12-month minimum period for which an individual is required to hold a provisional license before obtaining a regular driver's license is also extended by 30 days for each traffic violation, committed during the time the individual was driving with the provisional license, for which the individual was convicted or adjudicated delinquent.
FAQ's About Document Management
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When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
When it comes to Document Management, our clients have asked a lot of questions. With over 12 years of experience answering them, here are just a few:
Why is document management important?
Today, 80% of all mission-critical data is unstructured, 7.5% of all documents get lost, and 3% of the remainder are misfiled. Organizations are quickly realizing that document management is becoming necessary in order to be more successful. Organizing documents and information through the use of technology ultimately leads to higher productivity, greater efficiency, and improved performance. With an electronic document management system in place, your organization will be able to spend its efforts on the more important and core aspects of your business.What types of records are being imaged?
It runs the gamut: everything from student and personnel records to board minutes and engineering plans. Many of these records have retention requirements. For others, imaging helps streamline specific business processes.What are some of the advantages of scanning records, as opposed to just storing them in boxes or filing cabinets?
There are numerous advantages to scanning records. Imaging critical documents results in significant savings in both time and money because information is organized. Once imaged, you can instantly access any record from your desktop computer. This can reduce storage space by as much as 80% or more. Document search time is also greatly expedited. Requests for documents can be streamlined, completely processed, and printed, faxed, or emailed to the requestor in a matter of seconds. In addition, organizing imaged documents in a database can help with security, by granting access to only authorized users.How do I access information after it has been scanned?
Each record type can be setup with key searchable fields, such as date, first name, last name, APN number, etc. In addition, optical character recognition (OCR) makes electronic documents searchable by every word, so that they can be mined for specific information.How much does document conversion cost?
Price varies depending on size and volume of the documents. On average, scanning typically costs the same as a photocopy (a standard storage box measuring 10"x12"x16" holds approximately 2,500 pages).What format is used for scanning files?
The standard format in the industry for scanned files is TIFF. However, records are also commonly scanned as PDF, PDF/A, and JPG, among others.For more frequently asked questions, check out our website: http://www.sytechsolutions.com/faq.htm
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